AP Computer Science A Vocabulary Review

Flashcards to assist in reviewing important vocabulary for AP Computer Science A.

software engineer

A person who designs, develops, and tests software for home, school, and business use.

class header

Consists of the class keyword and the name of the class.

comment

A text note to explain or annotate the code that is ignored when the program is run.

source code

A collection of programming commands.

syntax

The rules for how a programmer must write code for a computer to understand.

syntax error

A mistake in the code that does not follow a programming language's syntax.

attribute

A characteristic of an object.

behavior

An action that an object can perform.

class

A programmer-defined blueprint from which objects are created.

object

An instance of a class.

object-oriented programming

An approach to creating and using models of physical or imagined objects.

constructor

A block of code that has the same name as the class and tells the computer how to create a new object.

instantiate

To call the constructor to create an object.

dot operator

Used to call a method in a class.

method

A named set of instructions to perform a task.

argument

The specific value provided when a method or constructor is called.

parameter

Defines the type of value to receive when a method or constructor is called.

string literal

A sequence of characters enclosed in quotation marks (" ").

algorithm

A finite set of instructions that accomplish a task.

condition

Determines whether or not to execute a block of code.

iteration statement

A control structure that repeatedly executes a block of code.

inheritance

An object-oriented programming principle where a subclass inherits the attributes and behaviors of a superclass.

subclass

A class that extends a superclass and inherits its attributes and behaviors.

superclass

A class that can be extended to create subclasses.

tester class

The class that contains the main method and from where the program starts running.

method signature

Consists of a name and parameter list.

return

To exit a method and go back to the point in the program that called it with the requested value or information.

return type

The value returned before a method completes its execution and exits.

void

Specifies that a method should not have a return value.

code review

The process of examining code and providing feedback to improve the quality and functionality of the program.

commit

An operation which saves the latest changes of the code and represents a snapshot of a project.

documentation

Written descriptions of the purpose and functionality of code.

programming style

A set of guidelines and best practices for formatting program code.

selection statement

A statement that only executes when a condition is true.

data type

The format of the data that can be stored in a variable.

declaration

Giving a name and data type to a variable.

variable

A container that stores a value in memory.

decomposition

The process of breaking a problem down into smaller parts to write methods for each part.

efficient

Getting the best outcome with the least amount of waste.

pseudocode

A plain language description of the steps in an algorithm.

redundant

Code that is unnecessary.

logical operator

An operator that returns a Boolean value.

two-way selection statement

Specifies a block of code to execute when the condition is true and a block of code to execute when the condition is false.

DRY principle

A software development principle that stands for "Don't Repeat Yourself," aiming to reduce repetition in code.

access modifier

A keyword used to set the visibility of classes, variables, constructors, and methods.

encapsulation

An object-oriented programming concept where the instance variables of a class are hidden from other classes and can be accessed only through the methods of the class.

instance variable

A variable defined in a class that represents an attribute of an object.

refactor

To improve the readability, reusability, or structure of program code without altering its functionality.

constructor signature

The first line of the constructor which includes the public keyword, the constructor name, and any parameters.

default value

A predefined value that is used by a program when the user does not provide a value.

no-argument constructor

A constructor with no parameters.

actual parameter

The value to assign to the formal parameter.

call by value

Copying the value of the actual parameter to the constructor's formal parameter.

formal parameter

The value to be passed to a constructor or method.

local variable

A variable declared and accessible within a specific block of code.

overloading

Defining two or more constructors or methods with the same name but different signatures.

parameterized constructor

A constructor that has a specific number of arguments to be passed to assign values to an object's instance variables.

state

The attributes of an object that are represented by its instance variables.

scope

Where a variable can be used.

assignment

Using the assignment operator (=) to initialize or change the value stored in a variable.

initialization

Giving a starting value to a variable using the assignment operator (=).

literal

A source code representation of a value, such as a number or text.

primitive type

A basic data type that Java predefines.

reference type

A data type that contains a pointer to the memory location of an object.

accessor method

Gives the value that is currently assigned to an instance variable.

application program interface (API)

A library of prewritten classes.

library

A collection of methods or reusable components of code.

return by value

A copy of the value is given to where the method is called.

compound assignment operator

Shortcut syntax to perform an operation on both operands and assign the result into the variable on the left.

compound expression

A combination of expressions.

concatenation

When two Strings are joined together.

expression

A combination of data and operators that evaluates to a single value.

operand

The data that is operated on.

truncate

To cut off data from the end.

Boolean expression

A logical statement that gives either a true or false value.

mutator method

Changes the value assigned to an instance variable.

relational operator

An operator used to compare values or expressions.

escape sequence

Starts with a \ to indicate how to display a String.

override

To define a method in a subclass with the same method signature as a method inherited from a superclass.

data structure

A structure for organizing, processing, retrieving, and storing data.

element

A single value or object in a data structure.

one-dimensional (1D) array

A data structure that holds multiple values of the same data type.

index

An integer value that indicates the position of a value in a data structure.

initializer list

A comma-separated list of values or objects given inside curly braces ( { } ).

traverse

To access elements in a data structure one by one.

decrement

To decrease a value by one.

increment

To increase a value by one.

loop control variable

A variable that is changed by a constant value and determines the end of a loop.

off-by-one error

An error that occurs when a loop repeats one time too many or one time too few.

postcondition

A condition that must always be true just after the execution of a code segment.

precondition

A condition that must always be true just before the execution of a code segment.

text file

A file that contains letters, numbers, and/or symbols but has no special formatting.

polymorphism

Where the same object or method has more than one form.

column

A vertical (up and down) series of data in a two-dimensional (2D) array.

inner array

An array that is nested inside another array.

outer array

The outermost array of a two-dimensional array.

row

A horizontal (left to right) series of data in a two-dimensional (2D) array.

two-dimensional (2D) array

An array of arrays often represented as a table with rows and columns.

row-major order

Traversing a 2D array by accessing each row from top to bottom.

column-major order

Traversing a 2D array by accessing each column from left to right.